Thursday

Police in Texas say they're closing in on the woman who was caught on video opening a half-gallon tub of Blue Bell Tin Roof ice cream, licking it and then putting it back in a store freezer.

The video, which went viral earlier this week, was taken at a Lufkin Walmart store, according to city officials.

Lufkin police said in a Facebook post that they believe they now know the woman's identity and once they obtain a warrant she will face a charge of tampering with a consumer product, a second-degree felony that has a prison term of two to 20 years and a maximum fine of $10,000.

They're also looking for a man who was caught on store surveillance tape shopping with the woman.

Initially, the video was believed to have been taken at a store in the San Antonio area. Then the search moved to Houston. The mystery was finally solved when a Blue Bell employee who watched the short clip recognized that it had been recorded at the Lufkin Walmart. Police now have surveillance video from the store in their possession.

All half-gallons of Blue Bell Tin Roof ice cream have been removed from the Lufkin Walmart and the Brenham-based creamery believes it has identified the container that was opened and licked. It had not been sold yet and was still in the store's freezer.

“Our biggest concern is consumer safety," Lufkin Director of Public Safety Gerald Williamson said on Facebook. "In that regard we are glad to see the tainted product off the shelves."

Blue Bell released a written statement that said, in part: "The safety of our ice cream is our highest priority, and we work hard to maintain the highest level of confidence of our customers. Food tampering is not a joke, and we will not tolerate tampering with our products. We are grateful to the customers who alerted us and provided us with information."